Water-level indicator.



PATENTED SEPT. 29,1903.

. J. DEWRANGE &`G. H. WALL.

WATER LEVEL INDICATOR.

A l PPLIOATION Hmm 11.53.10.1902. lo 10mn.. n 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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TN: Nunms PETERS co; wmaumo. wAsmNumn. n cv No. 739,994. Y PATNTED SEPT.29, 1903.

A5 J. DEWRANGE & G. H. WALL. A

WATER LEVEL- INDICATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 1o, 1902. v v No MoDBL. v 2 SHEETS-SEHEN.

No. '73s,994.

Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT' OFFICE.

JOHN DEwRANcE AND eEoReE HENRY WALL, or sournwARN,

ENGLAND.

WATER-LEVEL*` INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,994, datedSeptember 29,1903.

' Application led March 10, 1902. Serial No. 97,575. (No model.)

of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 165 Great Dover street,Southwark, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented new anduseful Improvements in the Construction and Working of Water-LevelIndicators for Steam-Generators and the Like, of which the following isa specication. Y

' This invention relates to an improved method of constructing andworking watergages provided with automatic valves, our ob-` ject beingto enable a blow-off to be eifected through the upper arm and gage#glass and through the lower arm, respectively, at successive stagesinthe complete operation of manual appliances, which may be arranged toworkeither reciprocatively lor rotatively.v

The accompanying drawings illustrate various constructions ofwater-level indicators embodying our improvements.

' In Figures l to 5 the arrangement enablesa blow-off to be eifectedthrough the lower and upper arms consecutively by a rotative movement ofa single hand -wheel without vinterference with the shut-off valves,Fig. l being a vertical section, Fig. 2 an exterior eleva-` tion, andFigs. 3, 4, and 5 transverse sections taken, respectively, on the lines:1; y y, and

2'- z in Fig. l. Fig. 6 is a'vertical section, and Fig. 7 an elevation,of a construction which enables a blow-od to be effected by meansarranged to work reciprocativel-y, Figs. Sand 9 being transversesections taken, respectively, on the lines and yf/y, in Fig. 6. l

Water gages as commonly Y constructed comprise two arms 'adapted forattachment to the boiler-front and are furnished with cocks whereby thesteam and water respectively may when necessary be shut oif. Between thetwo arms a gage-glass is mounted, and the lower arm is in additionprovided withablowthrough cock. When it is desired to provide againstthe escape of steam or water in the event of the gage glass bursting orbeing broken, one arm or each arm is furnished with a ball-valve, whichunder normal conditions isk oif its seat, but which upon fracture of thegageglass instantly seats itself andintercepts the escape of steam orother iiuid under pressure. When using awater-gage of thisdescription,it isnecessary when blowing through the upper armandgage-gla'ss not simp y to close the cock in the lower arm and openthe blow-through cock, but to adopt some means for preventing theball-valve at the upper end ofthe gage-glass seating or for displacingit if seated.

It has been proposed to construct waterlevel indicators having anautomatic valve both in the upper and inthe lower arm and provided withunseating appliances arranged in such a manner that at successive stagesin a complete operation of the blow-off mechanism a blow takes placethrough the normal working passages in thelower and in the upper arms,respectively.

` According to our improved method of construction instead ofmanipulating the automatic valve in the lower arm so as occasionally tohold it off its seat we arrange this valve so as to be permanentlyautomatic, andV we lit the same arm with a supplementary valve, whichserves to open or to close the water-passage between the boiler and thelower gage-glass holder. the gage-glass is furnished with an automaticvalve, arranged in conjunction with an antiseating or an yunseatingappliance, which may be either rotative or reciprocative in its action,but which in any case forms part of or is in connection with thedirecting-valve pertaining to the lower arm. The blow-off mechanism mayassume the form of a rotative spindle or rod A, which in the lower armis arranged as a two-way cock a and in the upper arm as anautomatic-valve carrier a, formed as a valve unseating or antiseatingappliance. Referring to Figs. l to 5, the cock a in one position oftherod A opens communication withl the boiler through the bore or passageb2 of the lower arm and the longitudinal passage C415 and lateraloutlet-passage als to the blow-off orifice al". In another position ofthe said rod communication is opened with the boiler byway of thegageglass and bore or passage b3 of the upper arm. The ports throughwhich communication is established will, however, be readilycomprehended without further reference to the drawings. f

The upper arm of In view of the desirability of rendering the positionof the mechanism more apparent at a glance the blow-o mechanism may bearranged upon the reciprocative principle and be worked by means of ahand-lever, the normal position for which is well defined.

A waterlevel indicator oi' the kind last above referred to isillustrated in Figs. G to 9. The directing-valve in the lower arm mayassume the form of a cylindrical rod A,formed with one through-passagea2 for communicating directly between the boiler and the lowergage-glass holder, a lateral recess ai for communicating between theboiler and a chamber 11X, a second lateral recess a4 for communicatingbetween the lower extremity of the gageglass and the chamber 11X, and,finally, a longitudinal passage a5, having a lateral inlet a6 and aterminal outlet a7 to the blow-ofil oriice as It will be seen that bycausing the rod A to assume certain positions the blow-off oriiice as isplaced in communication with the boiler either through the lower arm orthrough the gage-glass and the upper arm. The directingvalve and theblow-through cock may, however, be arranged as separate devices andconnected together in any convenient manner for the purpose of combinedaction. The automatic valve a is preferably supported in the chamber awby means of ledges a, afin ger am in the chamber d10 assisting the exitfrom the said chamber of the ball a9 upon the withdrawal of the plugcl3. The unseating or antiseating appliance in the upper arm may consistof a spindle or stem a', working through a stuing-box a0 and servingeither to unseat the automatic valve ax or to prevent its seating whenit is desired to eiect a blow-oli through the upper arm and gageglass. Asuitably-mounted hand-lever C is arranged at some intermediate pointbetween the upper and lower arms. This lever in the constructionillustrated is pivoted in the upper end of a link C, the lower end ofthe latter being pivoted in a lug C2, formed on the lower arm. The leveris connected, by means of the stud C, with the rod A, the spindle orstem a, comprising the unseating or antiseating appliance, beingattached to the upper extremity of the rod A by means of the stud am. v

The operation is as follows: Upon lifting the hand-lever C the firsteffect is to carry the through-passage a2 in the rod A past the bore b2of the lower arm and open communication with thc chamber b and the lowerarm by way of the lateral recess a3. rlhe lateral inlet c being now opento the chamber bX a blow through the lower arm. is effected. As thehand-lever C is moved to its extreme position (upward) the communicationwith the boiler through the lower arm is closed, the full portion of therod A beneath the lateral recess a3 coming opposite the bore b2, whichleads to the boiler. Communication with the latter is, however, openedby way of the lateral recess a4, the gage-glass, and the bore bf in theupper arm. The automatic valve (LX will now assume the position shown indotted line'in Fig. 6, wherein it is held by the spindle a.

If the apparatus be inverted, what has been referred to as the lower armbecomes the upper arm, and vice versa.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

l. A water-level indicator having upper and lower arms forcommunicatingwith the steamgenerator or other vessel provided as to itsupper arm with an automatic valve and with an appliance adapted fortemporarily preventing the said valve seating, and provided as to itslower arm with an automatic valve and with a controlling-valve adaptedfor opening communication between the boiler and the blowod, firstthrough the lower arm, and secondly through the upper arm andgage-glass, whereby at successive stages in a complete operation of theapparatus, a blowoff is effected through the normal working passages inthe lower and upper arms respectively, substantially as hereindescribed.

2. A Water-level indicator having upper and lower arms for communicatingwith the steamgenerator or other vessel provided as to its upper armwith an automatic valve and with an appliance adapted for temporarilypreventing the said valve seating, and provided as toits lower arm withan automatic valve and with a controlling-valve adapted for openingcommunication between the boiler and the blowoff, first through thelower arm, and secondly through the upper arm and gage-glass; thetwo-way controlling-valve inthe lower arm and the valve-antiseatingdevice in the upper arm being coupled together for joint manualoperation and in such relation to one another that, at successive stagesin a complete operation of the apparatus, a blow-oil" is eected throughthe normal working passages in the lower and upper arms respectively,substantially as herein described.

3. In an automatic-valve-tted water-level indicator, theherein-described means for controlling communication between the boilerand the blow-olf, same comprising a cylindrical rod formed as a two-wayvalve in the lower arm and as an unseating or antiseating appliance inthe upper arm in combination with means for operating the saidrod; thewhole being arranged in such a manner that,

at successive stages in a complete operation IIO passage with a lateraloutlet and, as to the upnames to this specification in thevpresence ofper arm, as an automatic valve-carrierformed two subscribing Witnesses.e as avalve unseating o1' antiseating appliance, and provided at itsouter extremity with a ALL 5 hand-Wheel or equivalent meanswhereby a Trotative movement maybe imparted to the Witnesses: said rod,substantially as set forth. PERCY E. MATTOCKS,

In testimony whereof We have signed our S; M. ROWSELL. v

